'Strange…'
As Rey listened to the story that Yuri force fed to him, he felt something off about the entire situation.
'From how she described them, they don't seem like mere bandits.'
Their coordination, gear, and most of all… their abilities.
It was true that bandits existed in tiers, but it was very unlikely to see an entire group of bandits have that level of consistent power.
Besides, this was an established path by the KariBlanc Group, which was a big deal in the criminal underworld.
Rey found it strange that a mere group of bandits would want to attack their caravan and risk pissing off thr KariBlanc Group.
'Last but not least, their mode of operation—or should I say their method of attacking—feels shady.'
Bandits employed several strategies, but the one Rey had seen wasn't one of them.
At least, according to what he had studied on the subject.
'A bombardment of projectiles is used during times of war or intense conflict—where the goal is to obliterate your opponent.'
Yet…
'Why would bandits use such a method that risks harming the merchandise?'
Sure, the bombardment could also be used for ambushes, but it was almost always fatal and destructive,
Bandits could not afford to have their prospective items be damaged. It would reduce in value if that happened, or it could even have none.
As Rey stared at Yuri's face, he could tell that she wasn't thinking about any of these things.
She just seemed to be looking forward to the next fight.
"Your face…" Rey found himself blurting out as he noticed a splatter of blood around her cheek.
"Hm?"
Yuri didn't know what he was referring to, causing Rey to sigh.
It was too distracting, so he swiftly brought out a black linen fabric and used it to scrub her face.
In no time at all, the stain vanished.
"A-ahh! T-thank you… Sir Ralyks." She mumbled, suddenly acting flustered for the first time since they met,
'What's her deal?' Rey wondered to himself as he immersed himself back into his thoughts.
In no time at all, he arrived at a conclusion.
"I don't think those men were bandits."
The moment he said this, Yuri raised her brows and waited for him to explain.
"If I had to guess, I'd say they're more interested in making us fail, or destroying us and our goods, rather than plundering them."
"Oh? Why do you think so, Sir Ralyks?"
Rey wanted to yell the details at her, or tell her to use her head a little.
Considering the fact that she had been doing this job for much longer than he was, wasn't she supposed to be the expert here?
'I guess she was just their muscle.'
Rey eventually had to explain everything to her.
"A-ahh! I see. You're right!"
He wanted to roll his eyes so badly, but Rey gave in to his self control.
"So who do you think is responsible?"
The moment he was asked this, there was only one thought that came to his mind.
"The enemy side—specifically the Mercenary Gang."
Upon hearing this, Yuri's face began to form a frown. All the cheerfulness from earlier faded away.
"They're most definitely the ones responsible for your missing packages. I'm sure they hired a lot of Mercenary Gang members to block all your major travel paths, which means we would have encountered that same problem if we chose a different location.
So long as the routes led outside the Capital, they could have more enough muscles guarding everything.
'Looks like I learned a new Skill. [Lesser Object Enchant]. It's a D-Tier Skill, so it's pretty useless.'
Rey decided he would simply use [Merger] and combine a Skill like [Greater Weapon Summon].
"In any case, we should be on guard. If my guess is correct, then we might face even more formidable opponents as we travel."
"Hahahaha! They should come!" Yuri raised her arm and gave a wild smile. "I'll beat them all up!"
Rey found himself smiling for some reason underneath his mask, though he merely stuffs externally.
"Well… at least one of us is excited." He whispered as he gazed outside the window.
'I wonder what awaits us ahead…'
********
Fabian was a member of the esteemed Mercenary Gang.
He had regular brown hair, and slightly pale skin that couldn't be properly detected under the moonlight
He had just joined a few years ago, but thanks to his hard work and dedication to the group, he was promoted to 'Captain!'
That meant, for this group of fifty, he was the man in charge.
Fabian didn't allow this achievement of his to fuel his ego, but he knew he deserved every last bit of his success.
Just as in any respectable organization, the Mercenary Gang operated on a strict hierarchical system, and he had managed to climb the ranks.
Wasn't he just amazing?
"Sir, it seems the first Squad was wiped out." One of his subordinates came to him and spoke.
"W-what?! Already?!"
A head of sweat appeared on his face as soon as he heard that.
'What the hell did Miller do? How did he let them get past so easily?'
To be honest, Fabian wanted his comrade—Miller—to fail, but not before whittling down the numbers of the KariBlanc Group's traveling members.
He would pick apart the rest and end up with all the glory.
Unfortunately, things didn't seem to be going down that route.
"Miller isn't fodder, though. How would he and his squad lose so quickly?"
Sure, they excelled in long-range attacks, but he expected some time to be drawn out.
'But Jack's Exclusive Skill doesn't lie. If that's what happened, then that's what happened…' Fabian sighed.
He just had to ensure that he took care of the mess by himself.
"S-sir, something's coming!" The voice of Jack, his right-hand man, soared through the air.
"W-what are you—?"
~SWISH!~
Before Fabian could complete his words, he saw a slit that completely encircled Jack's neck.
And then—
"E-eh…?"
Blood splashed everywhere, dousing Fabian in the crimson liquid of the man he had just been speaking to.
He looked around him and noticed that more heads were flying in the air and bodies were collapsing to the ground.
'W-what is happe—?"
Before he realized it too, his own head floated above his body.
Before Fabian even got to do anything, he realized the reason why Miller had lost.
'… FUCK!'
The enemy was too strong.